Archive for October, 2011

“Camping on the Moon”Four hours from Riyadh
and we’re camping on the moon.
Mountains of jagged black–
heaps of nature’s refuse.
No water, no shade,
no color, no creature
but for a lizard
with a blue crown.
Silence is the only gift
in this barren landscape
with its lonely tree
consigned to its isolation.
Space travelers look no further.
The moon is in Saudi,
occupied by campers
with nothing else to see.
(April 2011) – Annah Abetti-Korpi

“Why do you do everything the hard way?” my brother asked as he watched me fumble the tiny screws from the innards of my cell phone and replace the shattered screen with a new one.
Why do I do things the hard way?
I photograph with film. I type letters on a manual typewriter (it just broke so I’ll have to take it apart and see what went awry). I use a fountain pen when I write. I change my oil. I fix my car…
Creation is the only simple answer I could give. When I photograph with film I feel closer to the creation of something real, tangible. When I type on a typewriter it’s as though I’m personally etching letters into the fibers of paper. Using a fountain pen is an act of carving with ink. After changing the oil in my car, or repairing a broken part, an inner voice says “I built this thing.”